The Wanderer
by Shimmercloud
Summary: He's disappeared again, and with bad timing. A little insight about Tadashi the wanderer.


**Ermgh what am I doing. More fanfic?  
Haha, I've always loved the fact that Tadashi was a wanderer, and I wanted to write a bit of insight of what he does when he disappears. Hope you like it!**

* * *

He rolled out of bed, yawning. The night had been haunted by vivid dreams, something that was all too familiar to him. Sunlight streamed through glass sliding doors, the curtains pulled aside to reveal the big open sky. He walked slowly onto the balcony, leaning over it as if to get closer to the clear blueness. A gentle breeze floated by, ruffling his dark hair. He breathed in the fresh air and a contented smile lit his face. A familiar feeling pulsed through him and he leaned further over the railing. Standing on a balcony was hardly enough. He felt his thoughts cloud over as he walked back into the room, tingling with impatience. The powerful tug left him only enough time to gather insufficient supplies before the suburban world disappeared from his mind altogether.

On the highest level of the house, a woman's face appeared at the window. She smiled sadly as she watched him run out the door. It was a regular occurrence that she had very slowly learned to live with. As much as he feared and obeyed her, there was nothing that could stop him from running away. She sighed and turned away. _He'll be okay,_ she thought. _He always is._

* * *

"Akira, you've been crying for hours!" In the SA building, six friends were gathered around a table, concerned looks on their faces.

"I can't believe him!" Akira wailed angrily. "Of all the days he could have left, he just had to pick today!"

"What's so special about today?" asked Hikari curiously.

"Well, nothing," she admitted. "But…Tadashi's birthday is tomorrow! What if he doesn't get back in time? I've been planning it for weeks now! Ugh, why did he have to leave?!"

**It's not his fault**, wrote Megumi on her erase board. "He can't help it," Jun pointed out at the same time.

"But…the party!" Akira protested. "Someone has to locate him and bring him back!"

"Akira," Kei began, putting down his laptop. "There is not one person on this entire planet that will be able to locate Tadashi. He's basically disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"I wish he'd tell me where he's going," she snapped tearfully. "Or at least when he's leaving."

"I doubt he even knows that," Ryuu mused. "It's probably hard to think straight once he's going." Akira stared at him in surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"Think of it like Jun." Kei walked over to the wide eyed boy. "When he's in his other self, he can't think normally. Instead he thinks…like his other self." He shot a furious glare at him, who in turn shrank down, a terrified look on his face. **Leave him alone!** wrote Megumi.

"I don't get it," Akira complained. "Tadashi doesn't have another self."

"Maybe he does," said Ryuu thoughtfully. "When his wanderlust takes over him, I guess you could say he's in his other self, although there isn't much difference."

"Tadashi likely can no longer think before acting," Kei explained. "All he cares about his satisfying that craving. What he leaves behind doesn't matter anymore, only what lies ahead of him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikari snapped. "That Tadashi doesn't care about us?"

"Probably," he replied. "But then again, I highly doubt inner-Jun cares about us either." He turned around to glare at Jun, but the quiet boy had already run away in fear.

"Just forget it about, Kei," Ryuu sighed. "Both Juns are getting better at this." Kei just turned away, clearly not over inner-Jun's past antics. Akira buried her face in Hikari's shoulder, in hysterics once again.

* * *

He sped down the highway on his shiny motorbike. It had been hours since he had left, and yet the pull had not relaxed one bit. His eyes glinted adventurously and adrenaline coursed through his veins. Anyone driving by would have thought he was crazy. He passed towns and cities without stopping and without getting tired. There was nothing but the roar of the wind to listen to. The sky was as clear and blue as it was when he had left, although he wouldn't have been able to remember. It was a spectacular feeling. As the bike soared off into the horizon, he gripped the handlebars tightly and let his excitement consume him.

* * *

"What if he doesn't come back?" Back in the city, Akira was sobbing on the floor. "What if it never goes away and he stays out there for the rest of his life?"

"Akira, that won't happen," Hikari soothed. "Tadashi loves you very much. That's enough to keep him from going too far. Hey, Takishima, let's go look for him! First to find him wins!"

"No," Kei sighed. "You'll just wear yourself out. We'll never find him." Hikari shot him a death glare and turned away.

**Akira**, Megumi wrote. **Don't worry about Tadashi. He's done this a million times before. **

"But his birthday is tomorrow!" Akira cried, collapsing in a heap on the couch. "Why does he have to worry me so much?" she sighed sadly. Megumi and Hikari hugged her sympathetically. On the other side of the greenhouse, the boys talked quietly among themselves.

"Don't you think Tadashi's gone a bit too far, leaving a day before his birthday?" Jun squeaked.

"He probably doesn't even remember," reasoned Kei.

"Even if he did, he's too distracted anyway," added Ryuu. "Poor Akira." Jun sighed, shaking his head.

"What a wanderer…"

* * *

When he saw it, he was so excited that he drove right into a bush. He had long left the road and had been driving through endless fields and trees. Throwing off his helmet, he eagerly stepped into the forest. Cool air surrounded him as he walked calmly through the trees. The broad leaves blocked out a lot of the sunlight, but a few light rays streamed through the gaps, creating patterns on the forest floor. The trees stretched up as high as the clouds, their branches thick and gnarly. The distant sound of running water attracted him and he began to follow it. He jumped past puddles of mud and climbed over piles of fallen trees, channeling his ears towards the rushing sound. The forest was still and peaceful, accompanied by the rustling of leaves and the chirping of small birds that he couldn't see. He let out a long breath, taking in his surroundings. He had been to millions of forests before, each one different from the rest. Climbing onto a log, he walked easily across it before tripping on a knot and falling into a bush. He got up, brushed himself off and continued through the trees towards the water.

* * *

Akira sat by herself on a bench in the park. The school day was over and Tadashi still had not come back. She pulled out her phone and began to scroll through the list she had made. _Everything is ready,_ she thought. _All I need now is him_.

"What seems to be the problem?" she heard someone say. She looked up to see Yahiro looking down at her.

"Nothing," she grumbled. "There's no problem."

"And yet, there obviously is," he pressed. "It's your wandering boyfriend, am I right? He's gone again, isn't he?"

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I saw him speeding by on his bike early this morning," he laughed. "He looked like a crazed murderer." Akira's face turned red and she looked away.

"He can't help it," she muttered. "It's his other self."

"Really?" Yahiro smirked, folding his arms. "It's not much different though, is it? He's always being reckless and not thinking things through." Akira stared at Yahiro, then at the sky. _Reckless…not thinking things through…_ She laughed. _That's him._

"What's so funny?" Yahiro asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You're right," she told him. "He is reckless. Both sides of him. He never thinks things through. Ever. And I think everyone needs to be a bit more like him." She stood up, smiling at Yahiro. "Thanks," she said. "That actually helped." And with that, she walked away, leaving him staring after her with a confused look on his face.

* * *

With one step, he burst out of the trees. Just below him was a wide running river. He drew his breath and climbed down to the rocky shore. The sun shone right to the bottom of the river, which was lined with pebbles and sand. He lowered his hand into the cold, clear water, letting it stream past his fingers. Closing his eyes, he focused his ears once again. He heard the faint sound of water crashing in the distance. Excitement filling him once more, he began to walk downstream. The river twisted and turned and he stopped once or twice to skip stones. After about an hour, he paused. The distant crashing sound was now roaring in his ears. He ran ahead and gasped as he reached a sharp cliff. Looking down, he saw a giant waterfall, tumbling down to hundreds of feet below him. Clouds of mist hovered where the water crashed down onto the rocks. He ran his hands over the rocky face of the cliff before starting to climb down. His hands swept the rocks for stable holds and he slowly made his way down the almost vertical cliff. Near the midpoint, his foot slipped and he grabbed hold of a ledge above him, praying that it wouldn't break. He shut his eyes as various thoughts flashed through his mind, but he was too occupied to process them. His bag slipped of his shoulder and fell down to the bottom of the cliff, its contents spilling out onto the rocky ground. Drawing his breath sharply, he frantically searched the cliff face for a foothold. Balancing his foot on a dull ledge sticking out of the rock, he very carefully lowered himself down to the next hold. Letting out a sigh of relief, he carefully continued to climb.

* * *

"Have you guys heard from Akira?" Jun and Megumi were relaxing on the couch, but Ryuu was anxious. "I keep calling her, but she never picks up…"

"You don't think she's gone to find Tadashi?" asked Jun, alarmed. **She's not that stupid**, wrote Megumi.

"I sure hope not," Ryuu worried. Suddenly, his phone rang and he fumbled to pick up. "Hello?"  
"Ryuu? It's me."

"Akira? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm making some last minute preparations for tomorrow."

"Oh. Have you heard from Tadashi?"

"Nope. But it's alright, I trust him." Ryuu paused. What had happened to Akira? She had been sobbing her eyes out just an hour ago. "I was thinking," she continued. "I honestly plan ahead way too much. What's the point, really, when stuff like Tadashi leaving can happen at anytime?"

"You're right," Ryuu replied slowly. "Well, I'm glad you're doing okay."

"Thanks for worrying! Oops, gotta go. Bye!" Ryuu hung up the phone and looked over at Jun and Megumi, who were in turn staring up at him expectantly. **What happened?** Megumi wrote. Ryuu blinked and threw up his hands in defeat. "I don't know."

* * *

He sat at the foot of the cliff, breathing heavily. After a few minutes, his heart rate went back to normal and he began to laugh, barely believing what he just did. He crawled over to his bag that lay a few feet away and began to put in the contents that were scattered around it. He picked up a photo and stared at it for a few seconds before slipping it into the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He ran up to the shoreline, mist blowing in his face. Shutting his eyes, he enjoyed the cold water for a few seconds before heading back into the trees. After the incredibly heart racing experience, he felt the adrenaline slowly slipping away. He climbed up a tall tree to a knotted branch and fell asleep.

* * *

"Hello, Ryuu? Have you heard from Tadashi?"

"Nope, sorry."

"That's okay." Kei sighed and put down the phone. _He still isn't back, is he? What's Akira going to do?_

"Nii-chan?" Kei turned to see Sui standing behind him. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," he reassured. "Just some wandering moron."

"Tadashi? What happened to him?"

"Nothing unusual. He just ran off to who knows where."

"Why did he do that?"

"He has a strange condition."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

* * *

He woke up at nightfall, when the last rays of sunlight were sinking into the horizon. It was a surprise to him that he hadn't fallen out of the tree. He blinked his wide eyes and slowly climbed down. The excitement had dulled and he found himself able to focus on his thoughts once again. Fumbling through his bag for his watch, his hand brushed against a photo. He pulled it out and looked at it. _Akira…_ After a few heartbeats, he shoved it back into his bag and ran.

* * *

"Tadashi's still not back, huh?" The SA members sat in the greenhouse, enjoying their lunch. Akira had prepared tiny sandwiches and green tea cakes with jasmine tea.

"I guess not." Kei sighed and leaned back on the couch. He glanced over at Akira, who was sipping her tea calmly.

"I can't believe he forgot his birthday," Hikari chimed in. "Even I wouldn't forget something like that."

"In that state, memory means nothing to him," Ryuu stated. "He probably doesn't even remember his name."

"It's because in all the excitement, his priorities shift a lot," Kei explained to a bewildered Hikari. "The past is longer important to him, and so he won't bother to think about it at all. There's just too much on his mind to be able to share with other thoughts."

"I think I get it now," said Hikari slowly. "That Tadashi sure is something."

"Good. I'm glad you finally understand, Miss Number Two," Kei teased. Hikari leaped up and glared at him angrily.

"Don't call me Number Two!"

"Here we go again," Ryuu sighed.

"It's always the same, even without Tadashi," murmured Jun quietly.

"Without who?" Everyone froze.

Tadashi stood on the walkway underneath the arch. His dark hair was messy and his clothes were wrinkled, but he looked as energetic and confident as he usually did. The rest of the SA gaped at him, as if they couldn't believe that he was actually there, but Akira rose out of her seat and ran over to him as if in slow motion. The two hugged each other simultaneously and Akira pressed her face against his shoulder. "Happy birthday," she breathed. He didn't reply. Instead, he held her tightly and didn't let go. Akira was surprised. She didn't usually get hugs from Tadashi, even after his long unexpected journeys. When they finally separated, he just looked at her, his eyes content.

"Did you enjoy your journey?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he replied. After a moment of silence, he spoke up. "Listen, when I got up yesterday, I had the sudden urge to travel, and it stayed in me for almost the entire day." Akira nodded slowly, confused. "In the afternoon, I got really tired and took a nap in a tree, and when I woke up, it was gone." Akira swallowed her annoyance of him sleeping in a tree and stared up at him curiously. _What is he getting at?_

"But then I looked at a picture of you that I had brought with me, and it suddenly came back to me. It was all the same, except I didn't want to travel anymore. Instead, I really wanted to see you." Akira shut her eyes, taking it all in. "When I got home, I wanted to call you to let you know, but I accidentally fell asleep on the front porch. I woke up at noon and rushed here as fast as I could. Akira, I…" He stared at the ground. "I'm sorry." The rest of the SA stared at them in silence, not sure how to react. After a moment, Akira spoke up.

"You really carry a picture of me when you go on your journeys?"

"Every time," he said, grinning. She hugged him again, letting the tension from the day before fizz away.

"Well," Akira began as she pulled away. "I'm glad you're back. I've been planning your birthday party for weeks, and if you didn't show up, I'd probably have to kill you." Tadashi laughed, running his hand through his hair. "And I made a ton of food too!" His eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes. But don't get your hopes up. I'm still not over you making me worry."

"But…it's my birthday…"

"That's no excuse!"

He laughed and sat down with his friends. Nothing could beat an unplanned adventure like the one he had yesterday, but being with his friends was a close second. Jun and Megumi were relaxing next to Ryuu, Hikari was yelling at Kei, and he was with Akira. Well, he wasn't being hit by Akira for some reason, but it made him happy all the same.

"Tadashi." He turned to see Akira looking thoughtful. "I…have to thank you. I think all your crazy journeying has taught me something too." He leaned against her and smiled.

"I guess that makes the both of us."

"So can I come with you next time?"

"…no."

"I was kidding."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

**I know it's a bit weird, but this is the way that I saw him. It kinda comes from myself, because whenever something exciting is on my mind, I get too lazy to think about anything else. Hope you liked it. -Daisey**


End file.
